A Transformation of a Lifetime
by tsukeruu
Summary: Ever wondered what would happen if the Turtles were human? How they would act, react and live as a human being? As the four try to live among humans, they develop their brotherhood but other relationships as well. Would they adjust to their human lives?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:**

**Author: **Tsukeru

**Summary: **Ever wondered what would happen if the Turtles were human? How they would act, react and live as a human being? As the four try to live among humans, they develop their brotherhood but other relationships as well. Would they adjust to their human lives?

**Rating:** Mature

**Settings:** This story takes place through many of years, in an alternative universe type setting that is remotely similar to present day New York City.

**Pairings: **Leonardo x Karai, Donny x Mikey, Leo x Raph, April x Casey, possibly more...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters, original stories, movies, comics, series, etc This is simply a work of fiction to show my appreciation towards this fandom. I had been a fan girl of TMNT since the early 90s and want to give thanks to the fans and the creators to give me such a wonderful series to be apart of. If you are not a fan of AU type fan fics or fics that may have original characters in it, then this is not a fic for you.

**Note from the author: **It's been about four years since I have written a fan fic. Thanks to my re-obsession, it has got me craving to write again. I am an original fan of the live action movies and the 1987 TV series. I'm not a huge fan on the 2003 series or 2007 series, so I wanted to write something that was remotely similar to how the characters use to be in the comics. Just thought I would warn you to who are similar to the newer versions. Please comment and let me know how you like this story!

**Chapter 1**

_New York City – present day. Give or take a year._

Clouds had slowly rolled in from over the harbor through the evening. The moon, hanging high in the musky, velvet night, could be seen sporadically beneath a heavy mist. New York City never slept. People lived and worked in this bustling city; the tenacious behaviors of their lifestyles bursting through the frenzy. Hooligans had plagued the city for decades. Crimes and unthinkable acts, ranging from petty thefts to more gruesome cruel afflictions such as rape and murder, were committed deep in the night. Even in the heat of activity, there were four souls though that patrolled the streets above and below Manhattan. Unbeknownst to common life, they existed here.

They were four brothers bounded by soul, and unordinary in all ways, shapes, and forms. For nearly two decades now, they remained concealed under the city streets. Their master, Splinter, trained them to become skillful ninjas. Under his wing, the apprentices practiced powerful ninjutsu1. The four had lived underground in the sewers of New York City, which they declared as their own domain.

As they remain hidden from the norm, they continue to grow, strive, and gain knowledge to perfect their skills. With being turtles, it is hard to keep the four teenagers on a tight leash. Splinter's awareness that adapting to the human world would be a difficult challenge was of constant existence. However, he knew that with their skills reaching a maximum peak they would be ready and maturely so. Each brother is unique in their own way. They each possess a skill they have mastered over time through Splinter's teachings.

Firstly is Leonardo, the eldest and leader. He is a master swordsman, but a natural coordinator. Even though he does not like to boast over his direction for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, he speaks out for them. He is also a great strategist. Leo's primary weapon choices are katanas2 ninja throwing stars and other such equipment. He is known for using his twin blades.

Then there is hot-headed, Raphael. Raph is always willing to fight and sometimes leap into situations before he thinks. He always gets himself into trouble and is clearly envious of his eldest brother for his role as the leader. Often he would proclaim that he should be the leader of the Turtles should he ever be given the chance. Being mischievous as he is though, the Turtles may have never met some of their closest friends such as Casey Jones or April O'Neil without him. He mostly prefers to use sais3, but he tends to have other tricks up his sleeves.

Next up is the second middle-child, Donatello. No matter what technology he can get a grasp of, it never fails to astound him. He is always fixing something or has his hands busy with a gadget or two. Likewise, he's assumed the title of 'technology geek'. His choice of weapon is his bo staff.

Last, but not least, is the youngest Turtle, **Michelangelo. Being** the class clown type, Mikey is the lovable goof of the group. He enjoys fooling around, making jokes and making video games. His deepest love above all else in the world is pizza. Mikey is always the comic relief of the four, and tries hard to keep things cool between his brothers. Often times he is seen as a peace-making jester of sorts. Being a "party-dude" has gotten Mikey into some trouble with Raph.

Raph had bullied him throughout childhood. Despite all this pizza-loving Turtle has been through, he lacks patience. Mikey is skilled with nunchaku4, grappling hooks, and other similar weapons.

With how different each Turtle was in their personality, they worked together supremely well. The Turtles showed a lot of gratitude towards Splinter for all he had done for them. Splinter had been there since the day they had mutated. He had raised them in such a manner that their relations together made him like a father-figure. Even though they were not the most ideal family, they made it work for nearly nineteen years. Unfortunately, six years to this day marked their master's untimely death. The Turtles struggled to keep this dysfunctional family afloat, even if it took all of their strength to keep their bonds alive.

The Turtles had strayed from their family after Splinter's death. It was hard for each of the brothers to focus on reality after the life-changing event. Splinter had warned them in the past that there would come a time when they would be without him, yet the Turtles never thought the day would arrive. They had always imagined Splinter as immortal; a powerful being that would live for an eternity. Even so, reality hurt six years after the fact.

The Turtles had parted ways for a while as they tried to do some soul-searching on their own. However, they soon found themselves together again in the Sewer Den. Donatello sat at his work station, busy with a new experiment. His desk had piles of books, research papers, old gadgets and gizmos and other trinkets scattered about. He was not exactly a neat freak when it came to his hobbies. He was close to finding a new chemical compound that he thought may have similar properties to the 'ooze' that had transformed them originally. He was not sure at what he was creating or the purpose of it yet, but he had always wanted to find the chemical make up of the 'ooze'. Donny knew that the person who created the original substance was a very dangerous man for having such knowledge and for the use of an unstable chemical. Regardless, Donatello's intuition told him that this was what he needed to do.

A loud clank echoed throughout den. Raphael slammed the door shut, clearly infuriated.

"Look, Leo, would you put a fucking sock in it?" he ignited. Leonardo had been yelling at Raphael since he had returned from his motorcycle ride. Evidently, Raph had failed to complete his training session for the day.

Leonardo glanced over at Raph, gritting his teeth. "Raphael, you haven't been practicing with us at all lately! We need to practice together as a team so we can predict each others moves."

Raph stomped rather roughly through the great room. He rolled his eyes in response to the other's usual ranting. "Who cares," he replied, "why do we even have to train any more? We've been training our entire lives this way-for what?" He plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV.

Leo frowned, his head shaking in subtle disagreement. Some times Raph was too predictable. "Raph, I already explained this to you."

Mikey walked out of his room, a yawn on his lips. He looked over at Donny while he walked by. "Another fight?" He asked, scratching the back of his bald, smooth green head.

"You know it." Donny remarked. He pouted and viewed the two, then just the youngest with a smirk. "Let me guess. You were up late last night playing video games again?" he teased him.

Michelangelo grinned sheepishly. "You know it." he gave him a thumbs-up. "Actually, I haven't slept yet." The youngest tilted his head to take a glance at Donny's work. "What are you working on now anyways?"

Donny began to explain, "As you can see-"

"Damn it, Leo," Raph snapped before he reached over and shoved him. "Just leave me the hell alone!"

Both Donny and Mikey looked over at Leo and Raph. Mikey lowered his head, leaning against Donny's workstation, and gulped in the back of his throat. He hated to be around them when they fought. It was heartbreaking to see them argue like this, especially when they got violent.

Leonardo stumbled back on his feet. He slowly looked up at Raph with a grimace. "You need to stop this and grow up!" He reached over and grabbed at Raphael's wrist.

"Don't touch me," Raph growled again, narrowing his eyes sharply towards the other.

As Michelangelo saw this, he began to get rather nervous. He stepped forward a bit towards Raphael. "Raph, hey look... let's just go play some video games or something," he suggested, knowing he had to be fast.

Donny watched quietly, aware that Mikey should not get involved with Raph's quarrels. They never got anywhere. "Mikey, don't..." he whispered. He could not bare to see any brother get hurt by their own.

The temperamental Raphael quickly yanked his arm away from Leonardo. He reached over and shoved Mikey away. "Stay out of this Michelangelo!" he glared darkly at him.

Mikey had fallen back over Donny's workstation. The table collapsed under him. All the test tubes, flasks, and science equipment shattered as they fell. Chemicals spilled out everywhere. Mikey was on his back, stunned.

The geek quickly rushed over to his youngest brother. "Mikey," he cried out, astonished at the slime-covered turtle. He moved over, trying to help him up. "Michelangelo?" he shook at him slowly.

Raph looked down at his foot which some of the goo had poured onto. "What the hell is this stuff?" he asked.

Leonardo gaped at the younger two. He slowly moved over to them. "Mikey?" he questioned. He did not care about the goo right now that was all over Mikey, the floor, and the others.

Michelangelo slowly opened his eyes. He looked up at his elder brother. "Leo?" he whimpered softly, slowly looking over at Raph. He sat upright, head hung low.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Whatever..." he muttered before he stormed off to his room. The slam of the door echoed throughout the den.

Leo sighed, looking over at Mikey. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" he asked, rather concerned with how much broken glass was shattered everywhere.

Mikey shook his head. "But my ass hurts like hell," he said and rubbed his back as he sat there.

Donatello had begun to sweep up the glass. Leo reached down, extending his hand towards the youngest Turtle to help him up. "I'm sorry Mikey..." he stated. "I didn't mean for you to get involved."

Mikey shook his head again, standing as he did. He looked over at Donatello. "Sorry dude," he replied. He knew that Donatello had been working on his project a lot today. "Do you need any help cleaning it up?"

Donny looked over at him, smiling weakly. "No, but you should go wash that stuff off at least," he laughed weakly at the sight of the pink goo that covered most of his body. Michelangelo got the worst of it.

Leonardo looked over at Donny. "What is this stuff anyway?" he asked, lifting up his goo-coated hand. He spread his two fingers apart, the mess was rather sticky.

Donatello sighed heavily, lowering his head. "It was my latest science experiment," he explained, "a chemical compound that I was trying to make that was similar to the ooze that transformed us."

Leo and Mikey gazed toward Donny. They were a bit shocked by his statement.

Leonardo slowly stood up, tilting his head. "This stuff won't do anything to us, will it?" he asked, gulping in the back of his throat.

The geek shook his head no, before he laughed softly. "It shouldn't harm us at all," he replied, "but then again, it hasn't been tested yet."

Michelangelo began to stress out. "It hasn't been tested _yet_? But I'm covered in this stuff, Donny!" he whimpered, pacing back and forth in a circle.

Donatello placed a hand on his shoulder. "Mikey, relax. You should go get that rinsed off..."

After the Turtles had cleaned up the pink ooze and the broken glass, Donatello seemed rather disappointed with his experiment's failure. He lowered his pounding head over his desk, surprised he had not seen Raphael since the incident. Mikey had gone to his room to sulk and Leo was reading on the couch. Donny just prayed that the pink ooze had no effects on them. He wished he had a chance to experiment with it first before Michelangelo destroyed it.

Leo glanced over at Donatello. "What's wrong?" he asked, tilting his head. He closed his book, placing it on the end table.

Donny blinked at Leonardo. "It's nothing," he replied.

The leader stood up, moving over to Donatello. "I'm sorry about what happened to your project," he said, knowing Donny was very passionate about his science.

Donatello shook his head, smiling weakly. "Don't worry about it bro," he replied. "I have a few other experiments I want to try anyway." he laughed.

Leo reached down, gripping his shoulder. "Don't stay up too late," he told him.

Donatello nodded in reply as the other disappeared to his room.

In the morning, Michelangelo had awoken first. He was not feeling the best after the 'accident' yesterday. He was still a little upset with Raphael, who he had not seen since he had stormed off.

He slowly rolled out of his small bed. He yawned, arms stretched over his head. He reached down to scratch himself, before his eyes widened. His hands were flesh tone, not green. He reached down, feeling himself. His skin was soft and pink, and there was a mess of hair on his head. What was going on? He began panicking and screaming out in fear.

The other three Turtles woke from the scream that filled the den. Leonardo had shared a room with Michelangelo. He slowly looked up, seeing a strange, naked human in his room. He reached over for his katana.

"Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing in my room?" he growled, glaring at him darkly.

Michelangelo slowly looked over at Leo. Tears filled his eyes. Rather, at the equipped boy that should be Leo. He whimpered, not knowing what was going on.

Leonardo raised an eyebrow, looking up at the strange boy. "You didn't answer my question!" he hissed out, before he moved off the bed. He moved over and pressed his kantana blade into his neck. Mikey gulped in the back of his throat, looking at him. Tears began to run down his eyes. "Leo, it's me, Mikey!" he protested.

Leonardo lowered his blade with a tilt of his head. The voice was the same, but he was human. "Michelangelo?" he questioned slowly as he reached up to touch his fleshy cheek.

Mikey nodded in reply, looking over at the other boy. He was human as well. "You may want to look in a mirror."

Leo slowly moved over to the mirror before he screamed out in terror at his own reflection. He stumbled backwards, not knowing what was going on. He reached down, touching his flesh-toned chest. He had hair on his head. He was no longer green.

Donatello and Raphael ran into the room, looking over at the two. They stopped dead in the doorway, seeing the two strange boys. "Leonardo, Michelangelo," Donatello stuttered, not knowing how to respond. He did not know what was going on at first either.

Mikey and Leo turned around, seeing their companions as humans as well. Leonardo coughed slightly, looking up at Donatello. "No side effects, right?" he muttered.

Raphael slowly walked up to the mirror, touching it. He could not believe what he was seeing. He was human. All his life, he never dreamt of something like this would happen.

Donny lowered his head, looking away. He scratched the back of it, feeling the hair. It was so strange. "Like I said, I didn't get a chance to test it," He mewled softly.

Raphael turned to glare over at Mikey. "This is entirely your damn fault!" he hissed at him.

Michelangelo's eyes widen, looking over at him. "_Mine!_" he cried out. "You're the one that pushed me into the pink goo!"

Leonardo moved between the two. "Raph, Mikey, stop!" he replied, putting his hands up. "Fighting won't get us anywhere right now. Not to mention, we need to figure out what to do now."

Donatello sat down on the edge of the bed, his head lowered. His own chemical compound had done this. He could not believe that something he made actually, truly worked, but he did not know how to go about making a new batch of it; the files were destroyed when the goo had spilled onto the broken table.

Mikey whimpered and gripped onto Leonardo's wrist. "Leo, what are we going to do?" he sniffled, lowering his head.

Leo reached over, petting Mikey on the head slightly. "It will be alright. Let's call April, and figure this out."

* * *

1. Ninjutsu is the collection of Martial ways learned by Ninja of feudal japan. There is no magic involved-a misconception developed from the old days, where people didn't understand science the way ninja did, and labeled some things as magic.

2. Katana is a long, curved single-edged sword traditionally used by Japanese samurai.

3. Sai has a central, rounded or octagonal shaped steel blade and can be between 15-19" in length. On either side there are two smaller prongs used as wrist guards. The sai can be used for a number of things such as stabbing, slashing, punching, blocking, and throwing. Very useful against swords. Mainly used in pairs.

4. Nunchaku is a weapon of the martial arts, made up of two sticks of equal length and connected by a chain or cord. They originated in Okinawa from rice flails when the common people were banned from bearing iron weapons (blades.)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 ** -

April O'Neil did not know what to expect when she arrived in the Turtles' sewer den. The Turtles had called earlier saying that there had been an accident last night. She knew instantly this could be bad, especially if it involved Raphael. She slowly climbed down the sewer ladder into the lair. "Hey guys, I'm here," she announced. She moved off the ladder, looking around the den a bit.

"Guys?" It was rather quiet, almost too quiet.

Leonardo stood up and walked out of the bedroom. He crossed towards April, looking up at her hesitantly. His brothers soon followed. He stood there, still naked along with the other three.

April looked over at the four, fleshy boys. She raised an eyebrow, cheeks tinted red a bit. "Um... who are you boys?" she pondered as a soft chuckle escaped her. It was not every day that the Turtles had made friends with humans, let alone four naked teenage boys.

Leonardo coughed slightly, lowering his head. "It's us, April..." he stated.

April blinked a few times, looking at each of them in time. She directed her attention back up towards the boy who spoke. "L-Leo... Leonardo?" she gasped, a hand moved up over her mouth. Her eyes slowly rolled into her head, as she fainted to the floor.

April slowly had awoken from her spell. She did not remember what happened at first, nor could she comprehend what she had seen once her memory adjusted. She slowly sat up on the couch. She reached up to hold her head. April slowly looked up, seeing the four naked boys in front of her. Her face was tinged red while she gulped in the back of her throat. "So," she inquired, though her disbelief would not permit her to ask anything further. She could hardly fathom the situation they were in or how they even got into this.

Leonardo had been sitting on the floor as he waited for April to wake. He cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes over at Donatello. "Well, you see April," he began to explain. "The pink goo that Donny was working on... ended up getting spilled everywhere and on us, and apparently this is one of the effects of the goo."

April just stared over at the boys. She was still stunned by what she saw in front of her. They were rather handsome. Leonardo was the tallest. He had a very athletic, toned build. He had bright azure eyes with dark blond hair that fell at the top of his ears. His skin tone had a bit of an olive color to it.

Next, Raphael. His bright, flame-red hair tumbled down to his shoulders. It was shaggy, greasy and unkempt. His brown eyes were a sharp hazel brown. He had rather muscular arms compared to Leo. He was the second tallest of the four.

Then there was Donatello. He was a bit shorter than Raphael, but not as short as Michelangelo. His dark brown hair was rather long and swept past his shoulders to his lower back. His violet eyes were nothing that April had seen before. His chest was toned more compared to his other brothers.

Lastly, there was Michelangelo. His strawberry blond hair was messy and wavy. It was also medium in length, falling past his ears a bit. He was a little fatter in the stomach then the others, but that had to be due to all the pizza he had eaten in the past. His chubby cheeks made him look adorable.

"April?" Leo asked, seeing how silent she was.

April blinked in response. "Oh, um, sorry..." she replied. "I can't take you guys seriously without any clothes on," she laughed in response.

She was glad that she had brought the clothes like they had asked originally on the phone. She did not know what the boys were going to use them for prior to her arrival. "Here." She reached over and handed them each a set. "These are Casey's, so they'll probably be a bit big for you guys."

Each Turtle took a set of clothes. They attempted to dress themselves for the first time, not having much success. April burst out laughing when she saw this. She stood up, moving over to help each one.

"See, that's how you do that, Mikey..." she guided the youngest. He was wearing a sports jersey with a pair of baggy shorts.

The others wore beat up, old and scraggly t-shirts of various colors. Leonardo had worn a pair of old cargo pants with it. Donatello wore a pair of scuffed-up jeans and Raphael worn a pair of baggy, khaki shorts.

Mikey's cheeks turned red in response to April helping him. "T-thanks April," he stuttered bashfully.

Raphael was getting rather impatient with this whole situation. "So what are we going to do now?" he asked, sitting back down on the couch. "How are we supposed to get back to our regular selves?"

April did not know how to respond. "Well, I think right now we should figure out what to do with you guys in the meantime before figuring out what to do with that, Raph," she suggested.

Leo looked up at April. "What do you mean, April?"

April moved back on the couch, next to Raphael. "You guys can't stay here," she said.

"Wait- what?" Mikey whined, looking up at her.

April sighed, before responding, "it is very unsanitary for humans to live down in the sewers. Humans are prone to getting more diseases then turtles would." She frowned in reply, seeing their faces. "Not to mention, you guys aren't turtles any more. You're free to explore the surface world."

Each Turtle took a glance at each other. It did not faze them that they would be able to explore the world in such manners as April explained it.

Leo looked up at April. "But where are we suppose to live, April?" he asked. "We have no money."

April just chuckled softly, looking over at him. "I know Leo," she said. She reached over, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure Casey wouldn't mind it if you guys crashed with us for a while until you guys figure things out."

Mikey's eyes widened, loving to spend time with April and Casey. "And... I'll be able to see Shadow all the time?" he asked.

Shadow was one of his favorite humans in this world. Even though she was Casey and April's adoptive daughter, he had grown rather attached to her. He loved to babysit her when he could and just spend all the time in the world with her. She was about eight now and ever since she was a baby, the two were almost inseparable.

April nodded in reply. "Yep and I'm sure Shadow will be happy to see you guys in such states," she chuckled.

Donatello was still rather silent about this. He was just shocked that his experiment had actually turned them into humans. He looked up at the others, surprised they were not blaming him for this. "But April... I don't want to put you or Casey through all this trouble because of my mistake," he said.

April raised an eyebrow, looking over at Donny. "Hey, it won't be an issue," she assured him. "Until you are able to find a solution, you guys are welcomed at my apartment any time."

Leonardo stood up and bowed before April. "I don't know how we will ever be able to repay you April, but I promise that I will make sure everyone will behave, do their chores and be civilized while we are living with you."

April laughed, shaking her head and her hands. "Leo, that's... not necessary..."

Raphael rolled his eyes in response to Leo's proposition before glaring at Michelangelo. "This all is your damn fault!" he said rather angrily.

Michelangelo looked up at his elder brother. "Eh? But... but how is it my fault?" he whimpered, not understanding why Raphael was blaming him for this.

The red head rolled his eyes, standing up. He reached over and punched Mikey in the left shoulder rather hard. "Are you stupid or something, Michelangelo?" he yelled at him.

Leonardo's eyes widen. "Hey, Raph – that's enough!" he frowned.

Raphael rolled his eyes, forming a tight fist at his side. "It's all Mikey's fault for making us like this! If he wasn't the one who broke Donny's stuff, the goo wouldn't have touched us..."

Donatello frowned in reply, reaching over to grip Mikey's shoulder. He saw how upset Mikey looked and was worried about him.

Leonardo looked over at his younger, upset brother. "Raphael, if anything – it was your fault to begin with."

Raph raised an eyebrow. "What the hell do you mean, Leonardo?"

Leo rolled his eyes as he moved to sit over on the couch. "You are the one who started the fight last night," he said, explaining. "You are the one who pushed Mikey onto Donatello's experiment. You were the reason why it got broke in the first place!"

Raph bit down on the bottom of his lip. He knew that everyone was always protecting Michelangelo. "Damn it, Leonardo. It's all Michelangelo's fault!"

April stayed quiet as the Turtles argued. "Raphael..." she whispered, knowing he could be such a hot-head. "Look guys, we can figure this out later... but maybe you guys should pack up a few things that you want to take to the apartment with you," she suggested, knowing the four needed some space away from each other.

"Tch..." Raph replied, before he moved into his room. He had slammed the door behind him, which echoed the sewers.

Leonardo paused briefly before following him into his own bedroom. He began to pack his belongings.

Donatello sat next to Mikey, seeing how upset Michelangelo still looked. He reached down, gripping his hand. "Everything will be alright," he whispered to him. "Once things get settled, I will figure out a way to change us back. I promise."

Mikey was happy that he had Donatello at least for support. "It's just... all my fault," he whispered back. "I... I want to be back... to normal," he puffed his cheeks out.

Donatello hated to see Mikey like this. He reached over, gripping his shoulder. "Come on, let's go pack..." he told him. He moved into his room to grab some of his belongings. He wished that Michelangelo did not blame himself like this. If anyone should be blaming anyone, they should be blaming Donny.

April lead the boys back to her apartment. She looked back at the four, knowing they had been rather quiet since they had left the sewers. Confusion, frustration and fearfulness filled the boys' thoughts when they had walked with April. It was strange to be walking along the side walks on the city streets during the daylight with them. April knew the boys were nervous about their newfound-selves. She was kind of excited that they will be able to experience life as a human for a while at least. It was something she never thought would happen.

She reached her apartment building, looking back at the boys. "Are you guys hungry?" she asked, holding the door open for them.

Leo shrugged a bit. Mikey's eyes widen, turning to face April. "Can we get pizza?" he asked, eyes sparkled.

April laughed, reaching over to ruffle Mikey's hair. "At least your appetite hasn't changed yet." April lead the boys up the stairs to her apartment. She unlocked the door before she moved into the living room. "Casey? Shadow, I'm home," she announced. She set her purse and keys down on the table. She looked around a bit for them, reaching for the pizza menu so they could order. April looked up at the boys. "Make yourselves at home," she said, knowing they were just standing in the doorway.

The four boys slowly stepped in the apartment, unsure of what to do.

Casey walked out of the backroom, with their daughter, Shadow.

Shadow moved over to the couch, eying the boys suspiciously.

He looked up, only seeing April at first. He moved over into the kitchen, reaching down and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her close, locking his lips with her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the four boys. He pulled back from April, looking over at her. "April, who are our guests?" he questioned.

April smiled weakly, moving over to the boys. She smiled weakly, looking up at Casey. "Um, well... they are the Turtles, Casey..."

Casey just stood there. He did not know how to respond. He did not know if his wife was joking with him or not. "... What? Ha! Nice one, April. No really, who are they?" he asked.

Shadow turned her head, watching her parents. She looked up at the boys, blushing softly. They were rather cute. She moved over to Michelangelo, tugging on his shirt. "Are... you really Michelangelo?" she asked softly.

Michelangelo looked down at her, slowly nodding in reply.

Shadow just knew it. She reached over, hugging him tightly. She blushed, burying her head into his chest.

April coughed slightly to Casey's response. "Seriously, Casey... they are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Tur – I mean... humans," she said, with a sheepish smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note about chapter 3:

Sorry for the delayed response of getting this chapter up. I had fallen into a writer's block on top that life had gotten rather busy. Plus, I had to keep bugging my beta to finish it. I hope you guys enjoy it. It's kind of a filler chapter because I was stuck on where to take it. Don't count on chapter 4 getting up before the end of the year.

* * *

Chapter 3 -

It was rather silent that evening at April O'Niel's apartment. After the pizza had arrived, everyone sat around the dining room table eating dinner. Casey still could not fathom that the Turtles were actually human beings. No one-not even he himself-had imagined that this day could possibly come. It was strange to see his best friend, Raphael, sitting across in front of him in human form. He could hardly comprehend the idea. He was completely stunned.

Shadow hummed softly as she kicked her feet back and forth against the wooden chair. She nibbled on her pizza, rather delighted to be surrounded by her 'uncles.' She had always known them as Turtles, but it was not strange to her to see them as humans. She tilted her head after sipping a drink from her cup, reached over, and poked Michelangelo in the cheek. She was more curious as to why they were humans rather then turtles, but she knew her 'uncles' in and out.

Michelangelo had jumped a bit as Shadow poked him. He slowly looked over at her, gulping hard. His brown eyes had not seen so much sorrow or confusion in such a long time. He, like each of his brothers, was clearly not himself.

"W-what is it, dudette?" he asked Shadow softly.

Shadow just poked him again. It was just odd to see them in pink flesh.

The other three had sat at the table rather silently. Mikey was the only one who finished an entire piece of pizza. April knew that for the Turtles not to devour an entire pizza something had to be wrong. She was pretty sure that it was this new experience of being human. She slowly reached over, gripping Casey's hand under the table. She was worried about how the situation was going to affect everyone.

Shadow reached up and pinched both of Mikey's cheeks then.

"Rooish... (1)? Is that really you?" she asked curiously, still trying to see how they could have changed into humans.

Mikey winced in reply as she did that.

"Aiye! Shadow..." he whined, whimpering softly. He reached up to pry her hands from his face.

Casey looked up at Leonardo. "How did this happen?" he asked in a calm manner.

Shadow had moved up into Michelangelo's lap, letting go of his fleshy cheeks. She lowered her head, just examining his body inch by inch.

Leo lowered his head, closing his eyes. He let out a heavy sigh, before he began to explain the situation once again.

"Donatello was working on a new experiment. Raph and I started to argue a bit and, well, it kind of... got physical. Raphael had pushed Michelangelo into Donny's work station-" Leo said, before being rudely interrupted by his brother.

Raphael stood up, slamming both of his fists on the dinning room table. "Damn it, Leo! Stop blaming this one on me!" he yelled. "It wasn't my fault! It all was his fuckin' fault!" He pointed out his youngest brother, Michelangelo.

Michelangelo's eyes widened; his head dropped even lower. He reached over and pulled Shadow close, into his chest. He closed his eyes, wishing that Raphael would not yell or even blame him for this. He never understood his elder brother at times he was in an angry rampage like such.

Donatello stood up, glaring darkly over at Raphael with his violet eyes.

"RAPH!" he hissed out at him. "Stop this! Michelangelo had nothing to do with this!" He formed a fist at his side, knowing he had to say something now or never. His finger nails began to dig into the palm of his hand. "If you want to blame someone for this then blame me. I'm the one that created the anti-mutantigen. It's my fault! Not Michelangelo's."

The redhead just gave a sharp glare back at the other. "Both you and Leo know very well that it is asswad's fault! That's why we're human, not Turtles!" he barked back at him. "It's always Michelangelo's fault for everything. You need to stop babying him."

April bit the bottom of her lip, before she stood up. "Hey, guys... look, calm down..." she said, trying to shush them up. "It's no one's fault... and maybe you guys should take a good look at this accident. It is more of an opportunity for you guys then anything else."

Leonardo raised an eyebrow, looking up at her. "What do you mean, April?"

April slowly sat back down, letting out a heavy sigh. She shook her head, looking up at the eldest. "You guys are humans now," she began to explain. "You guys are able to do things other human beings would be able to. You don't have to hide in the sewers any more or only go out at night. You can be... free. You can do anything your heart desires."

The four brothers looked up at April. They were not sure how to respond to her statement at first. It did not occur to any of them that this was an opportunity rather then a mishap.

"Well, what kind of things can we do, April?" Leo asked softly, a bit more curious about what they could do.

April smiled softly as she looked up at Leonardo. "Until Donatello finds a solution for turning you back into your regular selves, you guys will be able to do just about anything imaginable," she answered, "you guys will be able to go to arcades, to malls, movies, parks, and even go to school. Who knows what else is out there just waiting for the four of you!"

Casey looked over at her, glad she was able to keep the four calm through this. He grinned a bit sheepishly, looking across the table towards Raphael. "And I'm even sure we can pick up girls easily with your looks, Raph..." he teased him.

Raphael raised an eyebrow, looking up towards him. "Girls...?" he questioned. He had never thought about once in his life that he would be able to have a relationship.

April reached over and nudged Casey's ribcage hard. "Don't even think about it," she snarled at him in a firm response.

Casey's hands moved up into the air, as a sign as defeat. "Geez, April, I was only teasing!"

April sighed heavily, looking up at Leonardo. "But the opportunities are endless now for you boys," she said, "and I said it before, you four are welcomed here for as long as you need to."

Leonardo lowered his head, closing his eyes. "I don't know how we will ever be able to repay you April," he stated, "You've helped us so much already."

April smiled weakly, shaking her head. "Like I said before, it's nothing Leo. You guys are my best friends. I have to look out for you now that..." she trailed off, lowering her head.

The boys had fallen silent in memory of their fallen mentor.

Casey looked over at April. "Where are they going to sleep?" he asked.

April blinked, looking up at her husband. "Oh, I haven't thought about that yet..." she replied. "Maybe we should get you boys off to bed soon. You guys had a rough day; tomorrow we can have some fun. Maybe we can go to the park, or to the zoo or... who knows where!"

Mikey slowly looked up at April, sweating in response. "I always kind of wanted to go to the zoo," he muttered softly.

Shadow reached up, clinging to Mikey. "Can I go too, mom? I want to go with Rooish!" her eyes sparkled in reply.

April laughed softly, looking up at her. "You have school tomorrow. And you should be getting ready for bed soon," she told her, "Casey, can you take care of her while I get the boys situated?"

Casey nodded in reply. "Yeah, I can after I clear the table," he said.

April stood up, disappearing into the back room to get it fixed up for the four boys.

The four were getting ready for bed. April had put them in Shadow's room for the time being. Raph had moved out of the room to get a drink. Leo was too focused on fixing his 'bed'.

Michelangelo had sat on the ground, on top of his blanket. He just held it, closing his eyes. He was not sure yet how to adjust to this lifestyle, nor was he sure if they would become normal again. He still felt guilty for everything. He looked over at Donatello was working out ideas already. He crawled over to him and curled up against him.

Donatello blinked, not use to this kind of affection from anyone-especially from his brothers. They were raised to be pretty independent. He raised an eyebrow, moving his notebook out of the way. "What is it, Michelangelo?" he asked softly.

Michelangelo just gripped onto Donatello's shirt, closing his eyes. He reached over and nuzzled his head onto his shoulder. He just wanted to be close to someone.

"You are warm too," he whispered, noticing the difference.

Donny reached up, feeling his forehead. "You don't feel warm," he said, looking down at him. "Are you feeling alright, Mikey?" he asked.

Mikey slowly nodded, lowering his head. "Do you blame me too, Donny?"

Donatello froze at the question. He wished that Raphael would not do this to his youngest brother. Raph had always harassed Mikey, pushing him to his limits. Raph never even realized this most of the time either. Let alone any of his other brothers. He hated this a lot.

He bit on the bottom of his lip, shaking his head. "You should be blaming me if anything, Michelangelo," he reassured him before continuing, "it's not your fault. You shouldn't listen to Raph, especially when he's angry. You know better then that."

The youngest boy lowered his head, just gripping tightly onto Donatello's shirt. He frowned in reply, looking away. "I know," he said, "but do you really believe what April said? That we can be normal human beings and do normal things?"

Donny raised an eyebrow, looking over at him. He smirked softly, reaching up and ruffled the others strawberry blond hair. "April's right; tomorrow we can start doing just that," he told him.

Raph had moved back into the room, yawning loudly. He was exhausted. He was still unsure of his new body, as were the rest of them. He moved over to his sleeping bag, plopping on the ground. He turned his back to the others.

Leo stood up and moved over to the light. "Donny's right, Mikey," he said, looking at his two younger brothers. "We should get rest. Tomorrow's going to be a big day and who knows what is out there, waiting for us to explore." He reached over and turned off the light. Carefully, Leonardo made his way to his bed.

Mikey crawled back into his sleeping bag. He snuggled up in it, grabbing onto his stuffed panda. He held onto it tightly. He blushed softly, looking up at Donatello. "Thanks, Donny," he whispered.

Donny laid down in his bed, turning to face his younger brother. "No problem, bud," he whispered back. "Get to sleep Mikey... we all need our rest."

Before long, the turtles had fallen asleep. Michelangelo and the others were filled to the brim with emotions about what was about to come in their new future.

1. Rooish – a nickname that has been given by Shadow for Michelangelo


End file.
